![]() If you would rather watch than read, the portion transcribed below begins at 13:35.) (The following is a transcribed and condensed portion of Brian Chapell’s message Grace in Christian Growth. Only when victory was won and his work clearly done did he sit down…Īs I watched that coach finally sit down it reminded me of a sermon I had heard preached by Brain Chapell at Liberate 2013, in which he described the significance of what it means that Jesus sat down. The newscaster posed the question, “Why do they even have seats for the head coaches?” The segment ended with game footage showing one particular coach running up and down the sideline, all game long, until he finally collapsed in his chair, right after his team hit a buzzer-beater to win the game. The segment showed footage of several coaches so wrapped up in games that they were not only not sitting down, but they were actually standing out on the court, while the game was in progress. But what is the significance of Jesus sitting down at the right hand of the Father? Why is the fact that Jesus took a seat something so important that is has been an essential part of Christian belief and confession for thousands of years?Ībout a month ago, I caught the end of a TV sports news segment about NCAA basketball coaches and the fact that many of them never sit down during their games. I think we can all agree that those statements inescapably belong there-they are rock solid truths upon which our faith and hope are founded. ![]() In the creeds, those phrases are preceded by what we would rightly consider to be some of the most important and most significant statements ever written-timeless truths for us to believe, teach, and confess-that the sinless Son of God became a man, born of a woman, suffered and was crucified, died and was buried, rose and ascended. We hear it, we read it, we confess it… But in good Lutheran fashion, we must ask, “What does this mean?” In The Nicene Creed, we confess, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.“ In The Apostles’ Creed, we similarly proclaim, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.” ”Įvery single Sunday, congregations, the world over, recite words very similar to those. “ Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. We hear those words much in the church, and well we do because they are in the Bible. But this morning I decided I was wrong.“Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.” After all, he was dealing with extremely serious topics. I’ve always sort of pictured Jesus as a solemn, serious person. ![]() Can’t you just see him demonstrating that as he spoke? Personifying his hands, making them look like individuals, and hiding one behind his back while the other one pretends to drop a coin unobtrusively in the collection plate without being seen? Can’t you see his expression? I’ll bet he had them rolling in the aisles…uh, in the grass. He said, “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Now, that’s surely an example of hyperbole. He was telling them not to be obnoxiously public about giving to the needy. In the Sermon on the Mount there’s an example. The image of a log sticking out of someone’s eye. The whole camel-through-the-eye-of-a-needle thing. One of his favorite forms of humor was hyperbole, which is when you exaggerate something to ridiculous proportions. Do you think Jesus was any less animated than I? I doubt it. (I know I make funny faces because whenever someone snaps a picture of me while I’m speaking, I’ve always got a weird expression and my eyes are crossed and my hands are flapping above my head.) I’m pretty sure I’d be banned from speaking back then because I don’t think I could stay in my seat for the length of an entire message. When I speak, I’m all over the place, from one side of the stage to the other, waving my arms and making funny faces. I’d have a really hard time with that, because I’m a fairly animated speaker. Jesus is sitting because back in those days, people sat down to preach. Oh, wouldn’t it be awesome to hear Him preach? He’s so peaceful, and he smiles as he speaks about salt and light, and lists off the beatitudes one at a time in his gentle voice. ![]() Before today, I’ve always pictured Jesus sitting on the top of a gently sloping hill with people gathered all around him, sitting on the grass, or maybe on a blanket they brought from home. I was reading the Sermon on the Mount this morning, and something occurred to me.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |